RAWSOME!

Size does matter. The larger, the more powerful.

The rugged power of Ronald Westerhuis’ sculptures and their size, which makes them almost too large to fit in an average museum hall, shrinks the world to a reflection in stainless steel.

Ronald A. Westerhuis, born in 1971 in Tiel, the Netherlands, has a steel fetish. The indestructibility, dense structure and cold character of this metal make it the perfect medium for his giant sculptures. The artist believes in the impact of large sculptures: A sculpture does not improve with size; the impact it has does. He designs Landmarks, objects that cannot be ignored due to their size, and that give the impression they will remain where they are forever. Larger than the Eiffel Tower! Is it immortality that Westerhuis wants or is he driven by that unquenchable male dream of infinite attention?

Within all this drama is a sudden subtlety. As we get closer to his sculptures, the polished, mirror-like steel surfaces open up allowing us to enter into a new dimension, Jim Morrison’s Other Side. In the reflection, we see ourselves exaggerated, twisted, with body parts standing out like holograms. By changing position, we can determine the image and suddenly be transformed from a dwarf into a giant. It is viewing autonomy, carefully directed by Westerhuis, freeing us momentarily from his dominance. Rumour has it that Westerhuis is working on a series of small-scale tempera paintings!

Museum de Fundatie and Mojo Concerts, organizer of the LowLands Festival, have commissioned the sculpture RAWSOME! The sculpture is shown at three editions of LowLands and is given a permanent home in the sculpture garden at Nijenhuis castle in the Dutch province of Overijssel. The 4-metre wide ball with its concave mirrored surfaces will enchant visitors to the LowLands Festival and Museum de Fundatie.

From 15 April to 18 September 2011, the model was presented along with several other works by Westerhuis in the Museum of Modern Art; Paleis a/d blijmarkt in Zwolle.